For the first time ever, the British series headed to the Northern Spanish circuit of Navarra and the action didn’t disappoint. The Macadam Triumph Racing team started their first season utilising the platform of the Street Triple 765 in strong shape, with Stapleford grabbing pole position and Wadsworth qualifying in 14th.

With two races on the same day around the twisty 2.44 mile circuit, Stapleford’s incredible qualifying performance would give the 2015 British Supersport champion the best possible chance to fight for victory.

Sprint Race

Despite Brad Perie grabbing the Holeshot, Stapleford didn’t spend long behind him and soon hit the front. Luke’s confidence with his #8 Macadam Triumph was evident as he gapped the chasing pack by a second at the end of the second lap, with Wadsworth inside the point-scoring positions.

As the 12-lap race unfolded, Stapleford wasn’t troubled and was able to control his tyre wear to set fastest laps on his way to a dominant victory. There was drama for Max as a near highside was enough to activate his airbag which didn’t deflate for a while, and saw him drop out of a points-scoring position.

Feature Race

While the Sprint Race was an almost lights-to-flag victory for Stapleford, the 18-lap Feature Race was a far more dramatic affair. Stapleford was second into the first corner but soon locked into a battle with reigning champion Ben Currie. Exchanging places over the opening laps, drama unfolded behind them to leave the top three clear from the chasing pack.

A further incident on lap five required the safety car to be brought out, bunching up the pack with Luke in second and Max in 10th. With the safety car in, Luke didn’t waste time to grab the lead. By lap 16, the Triumph rider was still setting fastest laps and had broken the challenge of the chasing Currie in second place. Further down the order, 29-year old Wadsworth was locked in a four-way battle.

While victory looked to be certain for Stapleford, an issue caused the bike to cut out on the run to the chequered flag and saw the Leicester-born rider lose the win by a frustrating 0.024 seconds to the defending champion, Currie. Despite the cruel luck, 32-year old Luke leads the championship by nine points while Max sits in 16th.

The Quattro Group British Supersport Championship returns to action on May 4-6 at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

Luke Stapleford #8

“It’s been a really strong weekend with us coming away leading the championship, especially at a track that was new to me, the team and the bike. It was a shame about the small technical issue with the bike at the end of the Feature Race, but other than that a faultless weekend and a big thank you to all the team. Bring on the next round!”

Max Wadsworth #72

“I’ve had a positive first round on my Triumph, although the positions don’t reflect it. A near crash in the Sprint Race landed me way back, but I came back out fighting in the Feature Race. There are some improvements I can make, but I’m really looking forward to seeing what I can do at Oulton Park.”

Race Results: Round 1 - Navarra, Spain

Sprint Race Results

1st Luke Stapleford - Triumph

2nd Davey Todd - Ducati

3rd Jack Kennedy - Honda

23rd Max Wadsworth - Triumph

Feature Race Results

1st Benjamin Currie - Ducati

2nd Luke Stapleford - Triumph

3rd Davey Todd - Ducati

14th Max Wadsworth - Triumph

British Supersport Championship after 1 of 11 rounds

1st Luke Stapleford (Triumph) - 47

2nd Davey Todd (Ducati) - 42

3rd Jack Kennedy (Honda) - 36

16th Max Wadsworth (Triumph) - 2